Trunk.



J. J. FOOTE..

TRUNK, APPLICATION FILED AUG. 11, 1913.

Patented July 7, 1914.

Wbbueooeo THE NORRIS PETERS ca, PHOI'OJJTMQ, VIASHINC mu, D C.

ATENT FEE.

JEFF J. FOOTE, OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA..

TRUNK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July '7, 1914..

Application filed. August 11, 1913. Serial No. 784,130.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Jnrr'J. Foo'rn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Atlanta, in the county of Fulton and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trunks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to trunks of that kind in which the tray is lifted and swung backward, and lowered into the trunk by the operation of the lid.

The object of my invention is to provide simplified and effective tray-elevating devices, and means for permitting the tray after it has been elevated, to be tilted or swung back into the raised lid, or to be removed from its supports. In this class of trunks it has heretofore been customary to provide a pair of parallel swinging links or standards pivoted to the trunk body and to a movable tray support at each end of the trunk. In my improved construction I do away with one of these standards at each end and. substitute a single standard having V-shaped arms pivoted to its upper end and rigidly secured at their outer ends to the tray supporting bar. I also provide a bracket or hanger carrying a headed stud secured to each end of the tray for engaging with a notch or slot in the tray supporting bar, whereby the tray, after being elevated may be tilted or swung back into the raised lid.

The matter constituting my invention will be defined in the claims.

I will now describe the construction and operation of my improved devices in detail by reference to the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 represents a transverse section of a trunk at one end and the lid open, showing the tray and raising mechanism in elevation. Fig. 2 represents a transverse section showing the lid closed, the tray down and the operating mechanism folded. Fig. 3 represents a front or edge view, on an enlarged scale, of the tray raising mechanism. Fig. 4 represents a vertical section, on an onlargod scale, of a bracket or hanger carrying a headed pivot stud. Fig. 5 represents a face view thereof. Fig. (5 represents an enlarged detail of a link and stop device applied to the lid.

My improved tray elevating mechanism is applied to a trunk body 1, having a hinged lid 2 of the usual construction. The tray 3 is removably supported on movable tray supporting bars 6, one at each end. To each end. of the body, a short distance below the upper edge, is secured a transverse tray stick 1, spaced from the end for providing a space to receive the pivoted standard and its arms when the tray is down. To each end of the hody,about midway between the front and back, there is pivotally connected by a pin m a single swinging standard 5, having pivotally connected to its upper end by pin y a pair of arms 5 spread in V-shape and rigidly secured at their outer ends by rivets 1 to bar 0. A plate having a stop flange l is secured to each end of the body just back of the standard into prevent the latter from swinging back beyond, or only slightly beyond, a vertical position when raised, as in Fig. 1.

The tray supporting bar 6, one at each end, is a simple flat bar, except that it has at the front end a short inwardly turned flange (5, Fig. 3, as a bottom rest for the tray. Near the rear end of the bar, in its upper edge, is made an inclined notch or slot 7, the lower edge of which is curved outward for better retaii'iing a pivot stud 8 therein. To each end of the tray, slightly back of the middle, is secured a triangular bracket or hanger plate 9 by rivets through the upper corners and centrally, and to the lower corner is secured a. headed pivot stud 8, Fig.4, for engaging with the notch 7. The tray will thus be supported by the flange 6 at the front end of the bar and. stud 8 in the notch 7. The hanger plates 9 protect the ends of the tray and securely hold the pivot studs 8 in place. By means of the above construclion the tray will be sufficiently hold on the supporting bars 6, but may be readily lifted or removed therefrom when in the raised position.

A link 10, which may be called a lifting link, is 'pivotally connected by a rivet or pin o to the rear end of bar 6 and at its outer end by a pin or rivet w to a stop-plate 11, Fig. 6, secured to the end of the lid, one at each end. This stop-plate is provided at its front edge with two outwardly projecting stop-lugs 12 and 13, between which th link 10 plays, and which serve to limit the movement thereof. The lower lug 12 supports the link 10, and this in turn supports the rear end of the supporting bar 6 and aids the standard 5 and its arms 5 in raising and keeping bar 6 in a horizontal position as the lid 2 is raised and thrown slightly backward into the position shown in Fig. 1. When the lid is being closed the upper lug 18 bears on the link 10 and, in connection with the lug 12, causes the link to keep the bar 6 horizontal. As the tray and its bar 6 are lowered onto the tray sticks 4, the standard 5 and its arms fold down be tween the tray stick and the end of the trunk as indicated in Fig. 2. The operation is very simple and is more satisfactory than that where two swinging links or standards are used at each end of the trunk. Evidently the lifting link 10, with the stop lugs 12 and 13, supplements the action of the swinging standard 5 and its pivot arms 5*. No special stay rod or device is required for holding the lid and tray'in a raised position, since the standard 5 bears against the stopflange a when the standard is raised, as shown in Fig. 1.

In the act of raising the lid, the tray raising mechanism is raised into the posi-' tion shown in Fig. 1, thereby raising and drawing back the tray and holding it in a horizontal position for giving access to the body of the trunk for the purpose of packing and unpacking the same. The tray may be still further moved from over the body of the trunk by swinging it on its pivot stud 8 into a tilted position in the cover, as indicated by dotted lines. In this position the whole interior of the body of the trunk is accessible for placing therein large packages or articles of clothing laid flat. The tray may also be readily lifted off from the bars 6 and removed for separately packing and unpacking the same.

By reason of the simplified construction above described and shown in the drawings 1 1. A. trunk having lid-operated tray-lifting mechanism including a single swinging standard at each end pivoted to the trunk, a tray-supporting bar, diverging arms pivoted at their lower ends to the upper end of the standard and secured at their outer ends to said bar, means for engaging the tray with the bar, a lifting link pivoted to the supportin bar and to the lid, and stop lugs, one at each edge of said link, on the lid for holding the bar horizontal during its movements.

2. In a trunk, the combination with the body and hinged lid, of tray elevating mechanism at each end, comprising a tray supporting bar, a single swinging standard having diverging arms pivoted to its upper end and secured to said bar, a stop plate secured to the end of the lid and having two stop lugs spaced apart, and a lifting link pivoted to the supporting bar and to said plate between the lugs for holding the supporting bar substantially horizontal while being raised and lowered.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JEFF J. FOOTE.

Witnesses F. P. FoLGnR, CHAs. C. CHAMBERS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of IPatents,

Washington, D. C. 

